Tosh turns to uncapped youngsters

22 May 2009 12:32
Toshack has called up Swansea's Joe Allen, Reading striker Simon Church and Leicester's Andy King. All three can expect to win their first full caps in the warm-up friendly on May 29 against Estonia at Llanelli. Toshack will then cut his 22-man squad to 20 for the World Cup Group Four qualifier in Azerbaijan on June 6. And with so many senior men unfit or unavailable, it seems that Cardiff's Joe Ledley - set for a big-money move to the Premier League now the Bluebirds have failed in their promotion bid - will be named captain of his country for these two matches. Allen, 19, impressed in the final months of Swansea's failed push for promotion, while 20-year-old King starred in Leicester's surge back into the Championship. Church, 20, has impressed with eight goals in 10 Under-21 games and also figured in Reading's play-off semi-final against Burnley. Toshack is without a string of senior men through injury, including captain Craig Bellamy (knee), midfielder Simon Davies (foot) and defender James Collins (calf). Young defender Rhys Williams has now defected to Australia, having won 10 Under-21 caps, while Wales are without Carl Robinson for the first time since his retirement. Also left out are veteran midfielder Carl Fletcher and Wigan midfielder Jason Koumas, who is expected to have an operation on a troublesome hip injury which has meant he has not started a Barclays Premier League match since Wales' last international against Germany on April 1. West Ham's Danny Gabbidon - who has been out for 18 months with stomach muscle problems - is back in full training with the east Londoners but will not be considered for this trip in the hope he will be fully fit for the beginning of the next campaign. His club-mate Jack Collison is also back in the Wales squad for the first time since serious injuring his knee in early March. Peterborough defender Craig Morgan also returns after a foot injury ruled him out of much of his club's successful promotion campaign. Derby goalkeeper Lewis Price comes back into the squad as third-choice with Stockport's Owain Fon Williams out with a shoulder injury. Wales squad for friendly against Estonia at Llanelli on May 29 and World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in Baku on June 6: Hennessey (Wolves), Myhill (Hull), Price (Derby), Bale (Tottenham), Eardley (Oldham), Gunter (Tottenham), Morgan (Peterborough), Nyatanga (Derby), Ricketts (Hull), A Williams (Swansea), Allen (Swansea), Collison (West Ham), Cotterill (Sheff Utd), D Edwards (Wolves), Tudur Jones (Swansea), King (Leicester), Ledley (Cardiff), Ramsey (Arsenal), Church (Reading), Earnshaw (Nottm Forest), Evans (Man City), Vokes (Wolves).

Source: Team_Talk